


She Will be Loved

by ThePrincessDiamond



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Depression, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Foursome - F/F/M/M, Loads of Comfort, M/M, Marco lives but he's handicapped, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Polyamory, Role Reversal, Suicide Attempt, THEY CAN'T LIIIIIIIIIVE IF LIVING IS WITHOUT YOUUUUUUUU, Titan Shifter Reader, childhood crushes, death everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-06-07 00:31:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrincessDiamond/pseuds/ThePrincessDiamond
Summary: The tables have turned. Re-experience Attack On Titan in an alternate universe where Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, and Annie Leonhardt live in the Shiganshina district with Eren and company. One with a new set of shifters. One where a girl struggles to keep her secret as she accidentally falls in love with a certain trio. One where that girl...is you.I dedicate this book to all of my readers out there. This is my big thank you for 1K+ reads on my Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie one-shot book. Thank you all so much--you all rock. I also dedicate this to my best friend for always listening and helping--and giving me that extra push when I need it. I extend many thanks to her.I don't own anything in this except the story itself and the added characters. Bertholdt, Reiner and Annie own you. I hope you all enjoy! (=^▽^=)





	1. Prelude--about you and the added characters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DustyBunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustyBunny/gifts).



> Can someone explain how to insert pictures? I've tried again and again--it doesn't want to cooperate.  
> Just click on the links below their names to see what they look like. Sorry for the inconvenience. -_-"

This is just a bit of information about you in this story—as well as the characters I added in. I'm not calling them OCs—that's because I really don't consider them as such. I don't roleplay with these characters (I wouldn't want to) and I don't have much of a story for them. That's because...these characters are based on people I know--looks, names, and personalities. It's not that person 100% though. Also, that's not a happy claim to fame if they made it to this story. (￣ω￣)

Well, except for one—a character I based on a few girls I crushed on over the years. I'm not going to disclose any personal information about their human counterparts—I'm not THAT heartless! But yeah—that's why I don't refer to them as OCs. I just wanted to explain that now before getting into the story. Because if they seem shitty (save for one of course)...well yeah, it's because they ARE shitty! ʱªʱªʱª (ᕑᗢूᓫ∗)

Now then—here's a tad bit of what you need to know about you and them:

 

**You**

**Looks:** Oh hey, who is that beautiful person right there reading this? It's you!! Yeah—you look like yourself, you just have long hair at the start of the story and then it gets cut. And you're short—5'2" (Connie's height).

 **Personality and Traits:** timid, flighty, caring, lonely, depressed, a dreamer

 **Titan form:** the female titan—also referred to as the screaming titan (and referred to by Bertholdt as the Goddess Titan)

 **Additional Notes:** Always wears a woven bracelet—it was a gift and means the world to her. Tends to keep to herself and doesn't like to speak up that much. Refuses to go by her last name. Likes watching the birds. Very attached to a girl named Sam. Scared to fall in love again...

 

** Breydan Palmerson**

[Click me!](https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_8PJlp2JpQ0vwdHQp9nB_Z3DSRTp5Agy)

 **Personality and Traits:** bossy, vain, overly-confident, two-faced, unfaithful, cruel, ...insane?

 **Titan form:** the colossal titan

 **Additional Notes:** Seems to think the world revolves around him and whatever he says goes—no questions asked. Does not like being defied. Likes to talk to himself—is probably not 100% all there. He likes Ashley...but his attention tends to wander, because of "his needs that she can't fulfill." He thinks he's the leader of the pack—can't lead for shit. Oh...and this douchebag is your brother. Best of luck to you!

 

** Ashley Linae Dukes **

[Click me!](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pmQ2pJ5Neu-rfQQcAoJPG48S_zu9iJNW/view?usp=sharing)

**Personality and Traits:** bitchy, whiny, careless, vain, idiotic, fake

 **Titan form:** the ice titan (I split the powers of the female titan here--she doesn't have screaming abilities like you do)

 **Additional Notes:**  Clings to Breydan constantly, and is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Likes to start arguments and play dirty—the type to get whatever she wants. Also known for not having patience—not a team player. Seems to only care about herself—and Breydan of course.

 

** Ryan Anderson **

[Click me!](https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BymmEikq4I3Ez-hVeg-GP1TPC2Cze0Wf)

**Personality and Traits:** sexist, creepy, obsessive, opinionated, talkative

 **Titan form:**  the armored titan

 **Additional Notes:**  Does. Not. Stop. TALKING. You'd wish you had some duct tape—the words "shut" and "up" are never together in his vocabulary. Avoid his debates—he won't see your viewpoint, he'll just tell you why he's right and you're wrong. Actually no—just avoid him altogether...if you can. Likes to raid the liquor cabinet. Feels the need to "mansplain" everything to you. Pretty good friends with Breydan—but even Breydan can't stand his constant gabbing.

 

** Sam Deyernik **

[Click me!](https://drive.google.com/open?id=168gOfj-qDOk0z3yd91uKMeJFO7cIAdHK)

**Personality and Traits:** caring, creative, gallant, leader-like, strong

 **Titan form:** the jaw titan

 **Additional Notes:** She stood out from the warrior cadets because of her strength—but she's also a softie...for you anyway. Doesn't play well with boys. Probably the only one in the group with a level head besides you. You won't find her anywhere else other than by your side. Sam was the closest person to you.  **Was.**

 


	2. The Fall of Shiganshina

“Huh?! Irresponsible?! So what—it’s more grown up to settle for living in fear behind some stupid wall your whole pointless life?!” Eren shouted before taking off.

“Eren!” his mother called after him. Well, it had certainly been a hell of a morning. Eren had woken up from a nightmare when he and Mikasa were supposed to be collecting sticks. Then they’d had to deal with a drunken Hannes and a few other Garrison members not taking their job seriously, and then when Eren had valiantly decided to take action against some lowlife trash-talking the Scouts—Mikasa had decided to throw him against the wall. Oh and Mikasa had told their parents about Eren wanting to join the Scouts—leading to Eren’s mother scolding him. The only thing Eren wanted to do at the moment was be left alone. He was very ticked at the moment. Words couldn’t even begin to describe how mad he was.

As Eren rounded a corner, he saw a group of boys cornering a frail blond. Armin… Eren gritted his teeth and sprinted forward. “BACK OFF!” he hollered.

“It’s Eren! Hey lookie here! Back for more?” One of them taunted.

“You think he would have learned his lesson!”

“Give this one to me!” The three froze in fear however, looking at something behind Eren. “Oh crap—SHE’S with him! Run! Just run!” The three darted off, leaving Armin on the ground. Eren slowed down and chuckled.

“That’s all it takes! One look—I’m just that scary,” he proudly stated.

“Well, one of you is,” Armin mused as Mikasa slowed herself to a halt behind the brunette. He started to pick himself up but fell.

“Where’d they get you Armin?” Eren asked, kneeling down to help him up. Armin blinked back tears and looked away.

“It’s alright…thank you,” he said, picking himself up.

A while later, the three were sitting down by the edge of the waterway, talking about earlier that day. “Oh, they just heard me rattling on about how mankind’s future lay beyond the walls. Doubt they understood half of it, but still,” Armin told them.

“Idiots,” Eren hissed. He tossed a rock in the water angrily. “Why’s it gotta be this way? Why can’t people just let us dream?”

“The walls are a powerful idea. We’ve survived for a hundred years because of them. No one’s keen on tempting fate,” Armin explained. “I may not agree with that sentiment, but I can see where they’re coming from. It’s human nature, Eren. When all’s said and done, the government’s policies are a reflection of our fear.”

“Yeah, the rest of the herds maybe. I say to hell with them!” Eren exclaimed.

“Someone’s gonna hear you,” Mikasa coldly stated. “Keep it down.”

“What do I care? You’ll rat me out either way,” Eren shot back. His glare could barely match the stoic look painted on her face.

“What?” Armin asked.

“I never promised you anything,” Mikasa stated.

“They know,” Eren said to Armin. Armin’s eyes widened in surprise, understanding what he meant.

“Hey guys!” A chipper voice called out. A pair of footsteps sounded across the pavement. The trio looked up to see their other two friends, Reiner and Annie running up.

“Hey Reiner, hey Annie,” Armin greeted.

“Hey,” Eren said, not bothering to look up. Mikasa just nodded in greeting.

“Wait, where’s Bertholdt?” Armin asked. The two glanced at each other and then around them, just noticing that their slightly taller companion wasn’t with them at the moment. Then they saw him stumbling around the corner, panting and sweating.

“Guys…slow down…please…” he wheezed. With a sharp inhale, he faceplanted on the pavement.

“Sorry Bertl,” Reiner apologized, grinning at him sheepishly. Bertholdt groaned and rolled over so he was on his back, staring up at the sky. Annie walked over and sat by Armin.

“Is Marcel still sick?” Eren asked, tossing another rock.

“Yeah, he is,” Bertholdt replied. “He’s getting better at least, thanks to your dad. He still can’t leave the house though.”

“Annie misses Marcel~!” Reiner teased, snickering. Annie frowned and glared at him.

“Shut up Reiner!” she hissed.

“She didn’t deny it!” Reiner hooted. Annie blushed furiously and started to pick up a rock to throw at him, but Armin grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

“Leave her alone Reiner,” Bertholdt mumbled. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, furrowing his brows in disgust at the sensation. He was a bit uncomfortable at the moment—it was whenever the topic of Annie liking Marcel was brought up. He knew she liked their sunny, dark-haired companion even though she would never admit to it. But Bertholdt _also_ liked Annie…and Annie only had eyes for Marcel. He was pretty sure Marcel liked her back too…

“Okay okay,” Reiner said. He sat down on the ground by Bertholdt.

“I don’t _like_ Marcel like that…I just care about him is all…” Annie stated. She smiled lightly, her cheeks tinged pink. Yes, a _very_ likely story Annie. Bertholdt sighed and sat up.

“So what’s been going on?” he asked. Eren frowned and threw another rock in the water.

“Eren’s folks know about the Scouts now apparently,” Armin explained to the three.

“Yeah basically…and they’re not too pleased…” Eren responded.

“Not surprising,” Annie commented. Eren sighed in response.

“Maybe my mom can sign you up when she signs me up?” Reiner suggested with a grin. Mikasa glanced back at him, her eyes silently demanding that he shut up. He had wanted to join the Scouts too for a while now—although Eren was far more passionate about it than Reiner could ever be. Reiner just wanted to be a part of something bigger, and actually be remembered for something good—unlike his deadbeat father in the military police.

“I doubt that would work, but thanks,” Eren replied, chuckling a little.

“It’s worth a shot,” Annie nonchalantly said. Her smile was full of mischief. “After his mom signs you up, then Reiner, Marcel and I can kidnap you and escape in the dead of night before Carla notices,” she joked. Mikasa cleared her throat. “You can come too, Mikasa.” Mikasa rolled her eyes and huffed.

“It’s sad.” The five turned their attention to Armin. “What most people here are willing to settle for this in exchange for some fleeting sense of security, you know?” He wasn’t wrong—that was for certain. Eren frowned and tossed another rock. It landed in the water with a small **_sploosh_**. “And make no mistake, it absolutely **is** fleeting. But the walls can’t hold forever…” Bertholdt picked up a smooth stone and aimed, getting it to skip across the water—farther than Eren’s had gone. With a sigh, Eren stared up at some birds flying overhead in the sky. “Only a matter of time,” Armin said, resting his head on his knees. Annie yawned and leaned against him, closing her eyes. Silence befell the group of friends, and suddenly, everything seemed to stand still. It was almost peaceful.

 **BANG!** The sky darkened for a split second and there was a large flash of lightning that cracked across the sky—a loud **BOOM** accompanying it. The group of friends were knocked about from the impact. It was odd—there wasn’t even a storm cloud in the sky!

“W-What was that?!” Bertholdt squeaked, helping Annie stand.

“I dunno!” Eren replied. Armin was watching a group of people converse about it and sprinted to follow them. “Huh? Armin, what are you doing?” Eren ran after him, Mikasa following close behind.

“Wait up!” Reiner called, running to catch up. Bertholdt and Annie sighed and did their best to keep up.

“Are you okay?” Bertholdt asked the blonde girl. Annie hummed in confirmation, tucking her hair behind her ears. Soon enough, they caught up with the group. All four were staring at the wall like everyone else in the crowd—their mouths agape in shock. “Guys? What’s going on?” Bertholdt gasped and stared in horror at the wall, and he felt Annie squeeze his hand in fear. There was a giant, monstrous hand gripping the wall.

“No…that’s impossible! That wall is fifty meters high!” Armin exclaimed.

“Oh god…” Eren whispered as his eyes widened with fear. A colossal shadow fell over the grounds as a skinless titan that looked to be completely muscle peered over the wall, steam billowing around it. “It’s a titan!” Suddenly—there was a gigantic explosion as the gate gave way. The gusts from the impact were so strong—pieces of buildings were blown off, and debris was everywhere. People screamed and fled the scene in panic—others weren’t so lucky and got crushed right before their eyes.

“W-What…?” Annie murmured. Her blue eyes held panic and anxiety as she stared at the wall. She was completely frozen. “What…?”

“It…it blasted a hole…like it was kicking a rock,” Armin stated in disbelief. More people started rushing past them as a few titans wandered into the city. “We have to go…” Armin gasped as he saw Eren meandering in the direction of the hole. “Eren, no!”

“Our house is in that direction…Mom is all by herself…” Eren rambled, ignoring his friend’s concern. Mikasa sprinted after him.

“Mikasa!” Armin cried. He tried to steady his shaking arm. Annie suddenly snapped out of it—she shook her head and ran away in fear toward her house. “Annie!” Bertholdt hadn’t even noticed—he too, was frozen. Sweat dripped down his face as he shook in terror. “This…this is the end,” Armin said. “They’re inside…we…EVERY LAST ONE OF US IS GOING TO BE DEVOURED!”


	3. His Savior--A Goddess

Armin ran off to get help for Mikasa and Eren—leaving Reiner and Bertholdt behind.

“Bertholdt, please snap out of it!” Reiner exclaimed, frantically shaking his friend. Bertholdt snapped his gaze to the blond boy, and his face paled.

“Dad.”

“Wha-?”

“DAD!” Bertholdt yelled, tearing himself from Reiner’s grasp. He sprinted down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. He desperately tried to block out the screams and gore. This wasn’t happening—THIS WASN’T REAL! _“Please be okay, please be okay!”_ He shut his eyes tightly and tried pinching himself.

This wasn’t a dream.

This was a nightmare.

“MOM! DAD!” He was seeing a few titans here and there now, among terrified people trying to escape. _“PLEASE BE OKAY, PLEASE BE OKAY, PLEASE BE OKAY!”_ Bertholdt prayed they had evacuated. His father was also very sick like Marcel—and had been confined to bed as well. Hopefully, his mother had grabbed him and escaped.

Unfortunately—that was not the case. Far from it.

Bertholdt skidded to a stop in front of a titan kneeling over a pile of rubble—a pile of rubble which had once been his house. He let out an audible gasp, his hands flying to his mouth and nose to block out the stench of death.

The titan turned to look at him, an arm hanging out of its mouth.

**Crunch.**

The now severed arm fell to the ground in front of him.

Bertholdt could hear someone screaming as he sank to his knees. It took him a few seconds to realize the scream was coming from him. His heartbeat rapidly sped up as the titan took a step toward him. He was frozen in place, staring up at the looming creature above him.

And then out of the blue—the titan was tackled into a nearby building.

Bertholdt blinked in shock and glanced over. Another titan was currently beating the shit out of the titan that had destroyed his home. It looked like any other titan—but it had long flowing hair and…it was female?

She reared her head back and let out a furious sounding scream—forcing Bertholdt to cover his ears to block out the sound. He watched as she forced the other titan to the ground and bit into its neck—ripping out a chunk of flesh. She spat it back out on the ground as the titan below her now remained motionless.

Bertholdt swallowed nervously and shakily stood up. Slowly, he started to back away—when he tripped over a brick. He winced as he fell on his back. Suddenly, the female titan looked over at him, making his blood run cold. She stood up from her kneeling position, her gigantic shadow falling over him.

Bertholdt was up in a second, sprinting away from her…however he wasn’t fast enough. A large hand suddenly blocked his path—and the next thing his mind registered was that he was being picked up. He started to shake and hyperventilate as he stared in horror at the female titan holding him.

This was it.

He was going to die.

Unable to help himself, he started to cry—both out of sadness and fear.

And then…something brushed against the top of his head. He looked up through his teary eyes to see the female titan looking down at him with a frown—her eyes glazed over with sorrow. Currently, he was sitting in the open palm of her hand as she gently and carefully stroked his hair with the pointer finger of her other hand. Why wasn’t she eating him? Or snapping him like a twig? She could have easily done so by now if she had wanted to…but she was different.

Bertholdt involuntarily let out a squeak of surprise as the titan brought him closer to her face. Her big, sad eyes seemed to be studying him. He was currently observing her as well. There was no way she was a titan—despite her size. Just…she couldn’t be. She’d killed to protect him, she’d gotten him to calm down, and she was coddling him right now in the palm of her hand. And actually…she was quite beautiful. There was just a certain look about her that none of the other titans had. Was she a goddess? That had to be it…she was a goddess—like the ones he read about with Armin in a mythology book.

Carefully, he stood—no longer feeling so afraid of the giant woman holding him. He reached out and placed his hand against the tip of her nose.

“T-Thank you,” he said, hoping it was loud enough for her to hear. She exhaled in response, engulfing him with warm air. It was almost comforting in an odd way.

Suddenly, she stood and started walking. Bertholdt clung to her finger tightly as not to fall. He gasped upon seeing all the destruction and titans stalking around as they ventured forward. It was then that he noticed they were getting closer to the gate that lead farther inward. She stopped relatively close to the wall and stroked his hair one last time before setting him down. With one finger—she prodded him forward, as if to tell him to leave.

“Thank you! I won’t forget you!” Bertholdt called up to her. To his surprise, she slowly smiled at him.

“HEY, THERE’S ANOTHER! TAKE IT DOWN!” The female titan snapped her head up and made a quick shooing motion at Bertholdt—who quickly scampered for the gate. He watched over his shoulder as she took off running away from the cannon fire—covering her neck. Would she be okay…? And were his friends okay? He pushed his way through a crowd despite protests and scolding, hoping to find them. Hopefully, they’d made it. His widened when he saw Reiner with his mom boarding the boat. He ran up to his best friend and threw his arms around him.

“Wha…Bertholdt?” Reiner turned around in his friend’s grasp. He gasped when he got a better look at him. Bertholdt’s eyes were red from crying, and the color had seemed to drain from his face. “Bertholdt, what happened?” Bertholdt let go of Reiner and tried to form words but found himself silent.

“Bertholdt, Dear…where are your parents?” Ms. Braun asked. Bertholdt shifted his glance up to her. After a minute, he tried to speak.

“M-Mom…D-Dad…” He shuddered, tears welling up in his eyes again. “They’re…t-they…” Bertholdt lost control and started bawling again, his body racking with sobs. Ms. Braun knelt down and wrapped him in a hug.

“Oh dear,” she murmured. Bertholdt hugged her tightly, crying into her neck. “I am so sorry for your loss, Bertholdt.”

“Karina!” Ms. Braun glanced up to see Grandpa Arlert waving her over.

“Come Reiner,” she instructed, picking Bertholdt up. He clung to her and buried his face in her shoulder. Reiner followed his mother onto the boat and over to where Armin sat with his grandpa.

“Are you all okay?” Armin whispered, shifting his gaze from Reiner to Bertholdt. The timid boy was curled up against Ms. Braun’s side, shaking as tears continued to roll down his cheeks. She was tenderly holding him as she stroked his hair in a soothing motion, all the while chatting with Grandpa Arlert.

“Bertholdt lost his parents,” Reiner whispered. Armin gave Bertholdt a sorrowful look and rested his head on his knees. “Any sign of Eren, Mikasa, or Annie?”

“I haven’t seen them yet,” Armin replied.

“Right here.” The two looked up to see Annie standing right next to them. The smile was gone from her face. Reiner jumped upon hearing her voice, not expecting her arrival so soon. She took a seat by Reiner.

“Where are your parents?” Armin asked. Annie pointed to the other side of the boat.

“I wanted to sit with you guys,” she quietly said. The three started quietly whispering about the events that had just taken place. 

Bertholdt remained staring into space. He didn’t pay attention to a word they were saying. 

He didn’t hear them whisper about where his parents were. He didn't notice when Eren and Mikasa came aboard. He didn't even notice when the boat started moving, or when Eren had a meltdown.

Bertholdt especially didn’t see the girl that was watching him from the other side of the boat, or the regretful and forlorn look she wore on her face. 


	4. The Pipsqueak Named (Y/n)

_“(Y/n), I’ll always love you! Stay alive!”_

_You sat there, frozen in horror as the brunette was lifted off her feet by a titan. Tears were streaming down her face. Someone grabbed you and slung you over their shoulder as you escaped. You heard her scream as the titan bit down, and the sickening snapping of bones. Blood spattered everywhere. No…no no NO!_

“SAM!” you screamed, bolting upright. With rugged breathing, your hand flew over your heart in an attempt to quell the erratic beating. Sniffling a little, you curled into a ball and tenderly touched the braided bracelet on your wrist. You had dreamed about her again…Sam. It wasn’t fair…why did she have to be the one to die? Why her and none of-

“Ugh. Breydan! The pipsqueak is awake!” **Them…** “Get up.” You glared up at the ponytailed blonde girl through your tears, then stretched. She was joined shortly by a short brunette boy with a shit-eating grin, and a tall boy with dirty-blond hair—your brother.

“A crying mess again this morning? Don’t tell me you had the dream again,” Breydan said with a sneer.

“What do you expect? She’s **always** like this,” Ashley replied, rolling her eyes and tossing her hair back. “Hurry up! We’re supposed to help work in the fields!” She stormed out. You wished you could rip that stupid ponytail off and shove it in her big fat mouth—maybe she’d shut up for once…

“Morning (Y/n),” Ryan said, giving you a grin. He extended a hand to you to help you up, but you flinched away from him. Ryan sighed and let you stand on your own—seeing as you refused his help again. “You could at least smile and return the greeting. I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said, walking out. Breydan and you remained.

“You need to get over this. Sam is gone—accept it,” Breydan hissed, pointing a finger in your face.

“No,” you whispered. Breydan glared at you and raised his hand.

**_SMACK_**.

A small whimper left your lips as you rubbed your sore cheek.

“Sam is **dead**. She’s not in charge of the pack anymore, **I** am—and **I** say that we’re continuing this mission. She may have had a soft spot for you, but to me, you’re still my stupid, cowardly sister. You’re not special. You’re **nothing**.” Each word stung like angry wasps. “Now come on—we need to go.” He gripped your wrist tightly and harshly tugged, forcing you to stumble forward. You tried to weasel out of his grasp, but he only yanked more and tightened his grasp. Sam would have never allowed this.

_"Sam…”_ you thought, forcing back a sob. _“Why did you die…?”_ Your teeth sank into your lip, enough to draw blood. _“If anything…it should have been me…”_

\------------- 

It had been a long, tiring day. The four of you walked away from the fields—with you meandering along behind them by a few feet. The three of them were chatting about something, but you weren’t caring to pay attention. Nervously, you messed with your bracelet—running your fingers among the blue and white threads.

_You were currently lying on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. You and Sam were the only two in the girls’ bunk at the moment, and for the past hour she’d been working on something with her back turned to you. Finally, she turned around. “Here (Y/n)!” You looked curiously at Sam and at the bracelet in her hand. It was a braided bracelet, made of white and blue thread. It looked just like the one that she had on._

_“That’s…for me?” You asked, somewhat surprised. Sam nodded at you, grinning brightly. As she smiled at you, you could see the cute dimples on her face._ _  
_

_" _Yeah! I made it myself!” Sam slipped it around your wrist and adjusted it to fit.__

_“Thanks Sam,” you said, smiling a little. “But…why?”_

_“It’s close to your birthday. Did you forget?” Well—you actually had to be honest. Breydan had never celebrated your birthday—no one had. You’d never had a “happy” birthday. You were surprised that Sam had cared to remember. Technically you wouldn’t be able to celebrate your birthday anyway, as there was training that day. But today, you had the day off._

_Feeling your cheeks burn in embarrassment, you clammed up and shifted your gaze to the sheets beneath you. Sam sensed your discomfort and pulled you into a hug. “It’s okay. Happy early Birthday, (Y/n).” She smoothed out your hair as she pulled away, making you smile and blush._

_“Thanks Sam.” Sam was always so kind and caring toward you…and she was so beautiful..._

_“You’re welcome,” she told you, adjusting her glasses. Leaning back, she pulled out a small object bundled in a napkin from beneath her pillow. “It’s not much…and I didn’t have a candle…but I snagged you an extra corn muffin from breakfast.” She gave it to you and you unwrapped it, the sweet scent hitting your nostrils. Then you broke it in half and handed half to her. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” You shook your head._

_“I want to. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, and I don’t want to celebrate alone,” you told her. She accepted the other half, and the two of you leaned against each other on the bed—nibbling on the treat in comfortable silence. Sam tossed the napkin away and proceeded to cuddle with you—your head was on her chest, her left arm draped protectively around you. You could hear her heartbeat…it was beating perfectly in time with yours…_

Suddenly, you tripped and fell flat on your face. Ashley was cackling at you. Her annoying laughter echoed in your ears as you came back to reality. “Watch where you’re going, Pipsqueak!” Ryan sighed and pulled you up.

“Lay off of her a bit, Ashley,” he said. His arm was still around you…it made you feel uncomfortable.

“Shut up, Pink-Shirt,” Ashley snapped. Ryan’s face contorted into one of offense.

“I’ll have you know, this is salmon, not pink!” he snapped back. You pushed him off of you and rolled your eyes. Actually, the shirt was pink. Ryan was just very stupid…and stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to reasoning even if the facts were clearly presented to him on a silver platter.

“Ooh—same difference!” Ashley argued. While the two bickered, Breydan turned to you. You tried to back away, but he caught your wrist in his hand.

“Is this thing distracting you again?” he asked, his eyes narrowed. Frantically, you shook your head. He growled and squeezed your wrist painfully. “Don’t lie to me!” Without warning, he yanked the bracelet off of your wrist.

“Breydan don’t!” you shouted at him, trying to wrestle it back from him. Unfortunately, he was much taller than you. He held it over your head, snickering as you tried to grab it from him. You were close to tears—you couldn’t lose that bracelet! You just couldn’t! “GIVE IT BACK!” He flung it behind you somewhere and tugged you along with him—ignoring your crying and protesting. Ashley and Ryan both huffed and stormed off after you two.

Not too much later, the group of Shiganshina friends came by. Eren was still muttering about how he was going to kill the titans. They were all listening somewhat—except for Bertholdt, whom was lagging behind a little. His mind was till swimming with thoughts from the events of a few days ago.

He was alive…because of a titan. But why? How? Not to mention, she looked like a goddess. A goddess titan… Bertholdt blushed. He hadn’t told anyone about what had happened…to be honest, he didn’t think anyone would have believed him—especially Eren. But that titan was different—there had to be a reason she hadn’t killed him.

“Oi, Bertl?” Bertholdt looked over at Reiner. The blond had slowed to match his pace and was looking at him with concern. “Are you okay? You’ve been very quiet lately.”

“Just thinking about my parents…” Bertholdt said. It wasn’t a total lie...he did really miss them. Reiner instantly felt bad for asking. Accidentally, his hand brushed against Bertholdt’s—but after giving it a bit of thought, Reiner slipped his hand into Bertholdt’s. His face was red, he already knew that. He could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks. It was a small gesture—it was supposed to be comforting, but Reiner couldn’t help but love the feeling of being close to him and holding his friend’s hand in his own.

Bertholdt glanced down at their intertwined hands and gave Reiner’s a squeeze in a silent ‘thank you.’ Reiner shyly stared at the ground, away from his first crush of two years. Suddenly, a small blue and white object caught his eye on the ground below—and he stopped walking, causing Bertholdt to almost trip. “Reiner?”

“What’s this?” Reiner asked, bending over to pick it up with his free hand. A bracelet—made of white and blue thread. It looked to be very well crafted.

“Someone must have lost it,” Bertholdt said. Reiner put the bracelet in his pocket. Maybe he could try to find the owner. Whoever it was probably missed it. Noticing the other four had gone on without them, the two boys sprinted to catch up.

 -------------

Later that evening, Reiner sighed and fell back against the wall of the warehouse. He had gone around with Bertholdt for a while—trying to find the owner. No such luck. Bertholdt had gone to join the others for dinner, which was just going to be nibbles of rationed bread loaves again—but it was better than nothing, and he had promised to bring one back for Reiner. Reiner’s mother probably wasn’t going to be very happy that her son wasn’t there…and was probably going to nag him about taking care of himself…but he could deal with that later. Now though, he was close to giving up.

That is, until…he heard the sound of crying.

“Hello?” he called out. No response, only more sobbing. Reiner got up and wandered in the direction the sound was coming from. As he walked around a stack of crates, he stopped and stared. A girl. She looked like she was about his age. Her long hair and her delicate hands covered her face.

Reiner carefully approached her and sat down by her. “Are you okay?” The girl jumped, startled by his presence. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Reiner quickly apologized. The girl stared at him through her big, teary eyes. He stared at he with widened eyes as he bit his lip, feeling his heartbeat accelerate. SHE WAS INCREDIBLY CUTE!! The girl shook her head and curled more into a ball, resting her head on her knees. Reiner scooted closer to her. “Why are you crying?”

“I l-l-lost my b-bracelet…” the girl whispered, seeming to shrink more at his sudden closeness. Reiner’s eyes widened, and he instantly dug the bracelet out of his pocket.

“Is this yours?” he asked, holding it out to her. The girl did a double-take and gasped, taking it from his hand.

“You…you found it!” She looked up at him with a shocked expression. Then before Reiner could register what exactly was happening, the girl had tackled him into the dirt in a tight hug as she clutched the bracelet in her fist. “THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!” She was still sobbing, but she seemed more relieved now. Reiner blushed and wrapped his arms securely around the sobbing girl.

“Uh, y-you’re welcome,” Reiner awkwardly replied. After a minute or two, she finally calmed down to speak.

“Thank you so much for finding it…it’s really important to me…” she told him. “I was scared I’d never find it…”

“It’s no problem,” Reiner said as he got up, pulling the girl to her feet. “I’m Reiner. What’s your name?” She opened her mouth to speak but-

“(Y/n)! Where are you?”

“I-I’ve got to go! Uh, t-thanks again Reiner!” the girl hastily told him, giving him another quick hug. “Coming Breydan!” Reiner stared after her as she disappeared into the night.

“(Y/n)…” he repeated, a smile slowly coming to his face. He turned and started walking back the way he came. The blond blushed again as he thought of her face, and her arms wrapping around him.

Reiner could only hope this wouldn’t be their only encounter.


End file.
